1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to horticulture implements and more specifically to a portable cart used to germinate seedlings and support plant growth.
2. General Background
Many devices exist that either assist in the germination of seedlings or otherwise support plant growth. Some such devices are limited solely to the germination of seedlings such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,964 issued to Caballero, U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,501 issued to Brown, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,196 issued to Lukawski. Other devices such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,744 issued to Royster and U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,099 issued to Nilssen are useful solely for more mature plants. However, a third group of such devices can be utilized for both seedlings and more mature plants. Typical examples of these devices include U.S. Pat. No. 3,314,192 issued to Park, U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,838 issued to Zausner, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,762 issued to Fogg, et al.
Unfortunately, in this last category, not all of these devices are portable nor can their light source, whether natural or artificial, be readily adjustable or controlled. Additionally, these devices often require elaborate mechanisms to control and/or maintain proper humidity levels and they do not offer a simple means of providing an adequate source of reflective light from all angles so as to closely imitate naturally available reflected light.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device which can be used both to germinate seedlings as well as support the growth of more mature plants.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device that is portable as well so that it can easily be moved as desired.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a means of utilizing both naturally available light as well as artificial light, either individually or in combination, as desired.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means of quickly and easily adjusting the level of the artificial light source depending upon the needs of the plant.
A further object of this invention is to provide a means of shrouding or covering the plants as needed in order to control light levels as well as to maintain the proper degree of humidity for the enclosed plants/seedlings.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a device that can be collapsed for easy storage when not in use. These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become obvious upon further investigation.